Safe



Nov. 17 1925 1,561,874

W. C. MACFADDEN SAFE Filed Aug. 29, 1924 I Irin- 0 Iiifiillfl lliilmfifiiam g f 5w N g 4 ATT RNEY Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

WILLIAM G. MAC'FADDEN, or FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA.

. SAFE.

Application filed'August 29,1924. Serial No. 724,929.

. To all w/lmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, "WILLIAM C. MAoFAD- DEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Fargo, in the county of Cass and State of NorthDakota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The almost daily occurrence of robberies of small banks, andparticularly country banks, has led to a wide spread study of theproblem of constructing asafe which is impregnable to modern methods ofattack. It is well known that all metals suitable for making safes canbe burnt by gas or electric torches, although safes which are proofagainst blasting. have been constructed of manganese steel. Such safesare in present, general use. I

'As far as applicant is aware, in all of the successful robberies ofthese manganese steel safes, the procedure hasbeen about as follows. Asmall hole is first burnt or drilled at or near the top of the safe topermit filling the safe with water. After filling with water, a holelarge enough to permit the withdrawal of the contents is burnt in thetop of the safe. During the burning, the water prevents the intense heatof the torch from consuming or melting the valuable contents of thesafe.

It is my object to guard against robberies of the kind described aboveby providing a receptacle for valuables formed to efficient ly resistattack and adapted to be so placed in any of the modern safes that it isinaccessible and cannot, therefore, be reached for burning.

A further object is to provide an inexpensive device of this kind havinga series of protected compartments which are easily accessible when thesafe door is open.

This invention also includes certain other novel features ofconstruction which will be more fully described and pointed out in thefollowing specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the best form of mydevice at present known to me, Figure 1 is a front elevat-ion of theprotected receptacle removed from the safe proper; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same in position in a modern safe, the safe being shownincentral, vertical section; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the device withinthe safe, which is shown in central, horizontal section and Fig. 4 is afront elevation of the safe with the door closed.

- I The guarded compartment or receptacle A is substantially rectangularand is provided with a strong, outer casing 5 extending about the top,bottom and lateral sides. The front of the receptacle A is open so as toallow ready access to a series of pigeon holes formed by horizontalpartitions 6 and vertical partitions 7. To further protect the sides andtop of thereceptacle A, a layer 8 of concrete is placed between thecasing 5 and the inner wall 9. The back 10 of the receptacle A may beopen or closed, as desired, al-

though in thestructure shown, the back is open.

The protected receptacle A may be inserted through the opening for acircular door 11 in a manganese steel safe 12. WVhen in place, thereceptacle occupies the lower part of the safe and extends from the backwall 13 thereof to the inner surface of the door. Thus, tilting of thereceptacle is prevented either in a forward or backward direction.Suitable lugs 15 fast on the sides of the receptacle are adapted toreceive bolts 14 for securing the same upon the back wall 13 of thesafe.

hen in place in the safe, it will be observed that the receptacle A isspaced a substantial. distance away from both the top and the lateralwalls thereof. In use, the most valuable property to be stored (such asgold, negotiable bonds and currency of the higher dencuninations) isplaced within the receptacle A. the non-negotiable securities. silverand less valuable papers being stored elsewhere in the safe.

If itbe attempted to rob the safe by the method above described, thecontents of the receptacle A will be inaccessible even after the outerwall of the safe has been penetrated. 7 To reach the receptacle A withthe torch, it would require not only that a substantial part of thewater be removed from the safe but that a very large hole be cut in thetop to permit the torch to be manipulated within the safe body. Underthese conditions, the concrete layer 8, makes it extremely difficult, ifnot impossible, to ra idly burn a hole in the receptacle A. Furt er, thetime required to burn a large enough hole in the top of the safe topermit the neoessary manipulation of the torch in contact 7 bottom ofthe receptacle may be cemented to the back and bottom of the safe, thespace beneath the receptacle being filled with the cement. Vr'ith suchan arrangement, the casing 5 would be estended over the back of thereceptacle and the bolts 1% and lugs 15 could be omitted.

The casing 5 is made of a rigid, tough metal which is reinforced by thegrid formed by the horizmital and vertical partitions 6 and Thus, thedevice is rendered sufiiciently' trong to prevent destruction by suchpounding or crushing forces as would be exerted through a hole in thesafe. It will be noted that the pigeon holes are open to the front sothat the contents of the receptacle A are readily accessible when thedoor 11 of the safe is open.

Haw described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described the combination with a safe havinga door, of a receptacle to be guarded adapted to be inserted throughsaid door, said receptacle being disposed in spaced relation with thetop of the safe, and a protective casing on the top of said receptacle,the front thereof being open to allow access to the contents throughsaid door.

'2. In a device of the class described. the combination with a safehaving a substantially vertical back wall and a door opposite said wall,of a substantially rectangular receptacle to be guarded adapted to beinserted through said door into engagement with said back wall, saidreceptacle being disposed in spaced relation with the top and lateralsides of the safe, and aprotective casing on the sides and top of saidreceptacle.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with a safe havinga substantially vertical back wall and a door opposite said wall, of areceptacle to be guarded adapted to be inserted through said door intoengagen'ient with said back wall, said receptacle being disposed inspaced relation with the top and lateral sides of the safe and extendingfrom the back wall to the door thereof, a protective casing on the sidesand top of said receptacle, and horizontal and vertical partitionsforming pigeon holes accessible from the front of said receptacle andconstituting a reinforcing grid within the same.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification.

WILLIAM C. MAGFADDEN.

